The circular economy and closing our resource loop

Americans consume a lot of stuff and in turn produce a lot of waste. The average American generated 46 pounds of just e-waste in 2019. But what if there was a way to design an economy that’s less wasteful and more environmentally friendly? On the show today, Callie Babbitt, professor of sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology, breaks down the circular economy, its role in fighting climate change and the challenges that lie ahead in public policy and manufacturing if we hope to achieve circularity. We’ll also hear from a listener with a smart hack for airport pickups during the holidays, and our beloved intern answers the Make Me Smart question.

Here’s everything we talked about:

• • “The right-to-repair movement is just getting started” from The Verge

• • “What is a Circular Economy?” from the Environmental Protection Agency

• • “Our prosperity is in peril unless we shift from a wasteful world to a ‘circular economy'” from The Conversation

• • “World’s Oldest Sealed Terrarium by David Latimer” from Nature of Home

• • “Investors See Interest-Rate Cuts Coming Soon, Recession or Not” from The Wall Street Journal

• • “17 top-selling items for Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023” from About Amazon

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